Petersburg schools losing ground—and time—on SOLs

The Petersburg school district and Superintendent James M. Victory need some wins -- and quickly.

The school district is being left behind by its peers statewide. Once again, Petersburg has the only five schools in Virginia denied accreditation.

In a year in which 95 percent of Virginia's public schools achieved full accreditation, Petersburg lost ground. Only one of its schools -- Robert E. Lee Elementary -- achieved full accreditation.

School officials cite incremental progress at Petersburg schools. But the district -- under an agreement with the Virginia Board of Education -- must achieve full accreditation at all seven of its schools by next year.

Douglas J. Fiore, head of the education doctoral program at Virginia State University, said the achievement gap between black and white students has widened since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. "It's not completely surprising to see that reflected in some school districts."

But what of the relatively substan tial gains in Richmond, another majority-black school district with many low-income or special-needs students?

"The climate in Richmond versus the climate in Petersburg the last couple of years is radically different," said Fiore, a former director of professional practice for the state Department of Education. "I can't imagine the morale of being an educator in Petersburg at this time."

But schools spokesman Cliff Davis sounded upbeat.

"We're not where we want to be, but we're certainly not where we were," he said. "We're on our way. We're making significant progress."

Yes, it's meeting more No Child Left Behind yearly progress indicators and making gains in reading and math. But in football parlance, there's a grind-it-out quality to this effort, not to mention a fumble. One of its schools, Walnut Hill Elementary, backslid from "fully accredited" to "accredited with warning."

Kathleen Smith, director of the Office of School Improvement at the Department of Education, said there are too many variables to pin down exactly why Petersburg has lagged. But perhaps the most important factor has been a dearth of quality teachers, she said. Jurisdictions such as Petersburg and Sussex County have a hard time competing in the teacher marketplace.

In that regard, she's impressed at the number of quality teachers Petersburg has hired this year.

"In the past in Petersburg, that has not been the case for them," she said. "Until you get that quality staff you need, it's very difficult to make the changes you need.

"This is the very beginning of the school year. We don't know what those new teachers are bringing to the table and what impact they'll have." But Smith sounded hopeful.

So did Davis. Victory, the superintendent, promised full accreditation within two years, Davis said. "He has not backed down from that promise. We're going to have them fully accredited this year."

Fiore said the Petersburg community has to take greater responsibility for its school achievement. Now, more than ever, school districts need parental involvement, he said.

His VSU unit is exploring ways to partner with the school system. "I do think we do have a responsibility as members of the community to assist."

That community -- beyond the schoolhouse, School Board and administration -- also must become fully engaged in this educational crisis.

Three yards and a cloud of dust won't get it done. The clock is running out.
Contact Michael Paul Williams at (804) 649-6815 or .